Thursday, April 2, 2009

Squirrel? They are often quick, indecisive, skittish, oblivious to danger. The human equivalent would be rookie cyclists out for a spring ride, blowing stop signs in urban areas, riding on roads and paths unaware of anything or anyone. Children and university students also qualify.

Deer? Unyielding to larger, faster vehicles, and tending to not care what part of the road they occupy. Fast moving and confident, morally superior, with the utmost confidence in powers greater than them such as Jesus, the Wheel of Life, and the municipal legal system. This guy is a deer. Actually, I see a lot of deer. The human-deer equivalent will assert his or her right to the road NO MATTER WHAT. This seems like a bad idea. Sometimes people don't see them, and therefore can't provide them their rights. Sometimes people in cars don't know that you actually have rights. Mostly, because you can't communicate with drivers, you should give them space.

Tasmanian devil? Downright mean. These creatures cruise the bike paths bowling over little kids, Burleys, old ladies, little dogs, and wild animals in their quest to maintain speed and deliver chaos. I'd say, this type of cyclist would be a better deer.

How about a crow? A crow is road savvy. A crow will grab his meal (road kill squirrel?) and fly away well in advance of oncoming traffic. A crow is smooth, patient, and predictable. You don't see too many road kill crows.

Unfortunately, cyclists are prey animals. We should be smart ones, like crows. Please stay safe, be nice, and have fun.